Natasha Were
natasha.were@cfp.ky

On average adults spend about half of their waking hours at work. That’s a big chunk of one’s life. It’s important then, that it should be a pleasant and comfortable environment. The average person might spend as much time, if not more, in the company of work colleagues as they do with family and friends.

It’s natural that difficulties and tensions in the workplace arise from time to time. However, when these conflicts are not resolved, it can create a dangerously unhealthy environment in the workplace that can be traumatic for employees, says Taylor Burrowes, a counsellor at the Wellness Centre.

“A lot of times people minimise conflicts that happen. There’s the normal conflict that is resolvable but when it becomes personal it can spiral out of control rapidly. It affects not only people and their relationships, but the productivity of the workplace,” she says.

Bullying does not necessarily stop when we leave the school playground. It happens in the workplace too. “A lot of times we think of bullying as an extreme, but there’s a lot of bullying going on that we just sort of accept,” explains Burrowes. Constant criticism, assigning both too much or too little work, belittling others’ opinions, excluding someone socially or assigning impossible deadlines are all examples of bullying behaviour. However, it’s not always that extreme. “A refusal to compromise, talking behind someone’s back and getting others to ally with you, isolating an employee - that can become subtle bullying,” she says.

In a work environment, especially when this kind of behaviour is at the milder end of the scale, it’s not always identified as bullying. If an employee already suffers from low self esteem, or is naturally passive, they may even believe such treatment is justified and feel their performance is inadequate.

A person who feels persecuted or excluded, says Burrowes, may dread going to work. They may develop insomnia, frequent headaches or stomachaches which may in turn cause them to call in sick.

Absenteeism is costly to the company and lowers productivity - which is why it is in the interests of any corporation to have a written policy on how to deal with interpersonal conflict, outlining standard procedures employees can follow.

“Knowing you can give your company feedback is important,” says Burrowes. “Different companies have different policies and some do seem to be more open and inviting of that sort of dialogue than others.”

These policies generally advocate the same course of action: first address the person who is mistreating you and air your grievances. If you are not being heard, involve a third party who can be a witness. If that does not work, go to a direct supervisor or manager. If this still does not help, go to your Human Resources department or person.

Small companies may not have an HR department, but there is usually one person at least who deals with personnel issues.

Many businesses offer Employee Assistance Programmes, which are designed to help employees manage issues in their work and personal lives that might adversely affect their performance and well being. These typically include an assessment, confidential counselling and referrals to additional resources where needed, all at no cost to the individual.

“When companies encourage feedback and employees feel they can talk about their issues, they feel more comfortable, and businesses see the value in that,” Burrowes explains.

Organisations such as the Wellness Centre offer this EAP-funded counselling and may also be called upon to mediate in workplace conflicts.

Whether an EAP is available or not, Burrowes emphasises that if bullying, however mild, is taking place it clearly needs to be dealt with but, she cautions, “Know your goals: do you want to stay in the company? Do you want to find a resolution? In some cases it might be as simple as finding an ally who can be an outlet for your frustrations - whether it be a counsellor or a work colleague.”

The individual also needs to decide how far they want to take an issue: It can be a time consuming process and usually the onus is on the person with the problem to pursue the matter until a satisfactory resolution is found.

There maybe instances when an individual is just not suited to the management style and corporate culture of the company, in which case the best solution might be to seek employment elsewhere.

On the other hand, it may simply be a case of achieving the right kind of work-life balance, where workplace issues do not overshadow other areas of your life.

“When you have a better balance,” Burrowes says, “even if your work per se is not something you are in love with, you find purpose in it. Your purpose may be a pay cheque that you are happy with because it helps you meet your goals in life and that in turn makes you happy.”